Sri Lanka opener Upul Tharanga has said that a consistent place in the national team over the past eight months has empowered his batting, after being picked inconsistently over the past few years.

Tharanga's third Test century in Galle comes in the wake of an impressive ODI ton in South Africa last month, and a good tour of Zimbabwe last year.

In Angelo Mathews' absence, Tharanga had also been named ODI captain for the South Africa series, and T20 captain for the series in Australia, when only a year ago, he had struggled to find a place in any of Sri Lanka's sides.